DIO plans accommodation boost for medical staff in Birmingham
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is planning to deliver new accommodation for medical staff working with injured military personnel at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine (RCDM)Birmingham.
Working with St. Modwen, theUK’s leading regeneration specialist, DIO is developing proposals that will provide high-quality accommodation at Longbridge for medics working at the RCDM, which is based at the city’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
St. Modwen and DIO will submit a joint planning application later this month for new accommodation, catering and living facilities as part of the wider £1 billion regeneration of Longbridge.
Subject to planning permission being granted by Birmingham City Council, the signature building will provide 180 en-suite bedrooms and support facilities built on land off the A38 Bristol Road – within easy walking distance of bus and train connections to the Queen Elizabeth hospital.
Matthew Punshon, DIO Director of Asset Strategy and Portfolio, said:
“DIO’s priority is to enhance the service we provide to Defence - building a better estate and delivering the right buildings, services and facilities to support our hard working personnel.
“We are delighted to be working with St. Modwen to deliver modern, comfortable accommodation for medical and support staff working at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine (RCDM) Birmingham.”
Medical staff are currently housed in rented accommodation acrossBirmingham. DIO has been working closely with Surgeon General’s office, RCDM and St. Modwen – the owner of the Longbridge redevelopment – to progress the requirement for a permanent accommodation solution. The development will give medical and support staff a valuable focus for their community in theWest Midlands.
Wing Commander Andrew Evans, Chief of Staff RCDM Birmingham, said:
“The Royal Centre for Defence Medicine is the declared centre for military medical excellence. This long-awaited investment in accommodation is critical to our ongoing commitment to our dedicated healthcare professionals and, in turn, their ability to deliver quality healthcare. As a social and domestic hub, the new build is designed to meet the needs of this high-value workforce. It will provide a unified and cost effective ‘home’ for our personnel and underpin recruitment to the region. It is vital for retention of the high-quality healthcare professionals that Defence and the Nation has come to rely on.”
The Centre for Defence Medicine was established inBirminghamin 2001 and became the Royal centre in 2002. The decision to make a greater use of NHS hospitals and training facilities led to an open competition in which NHS trusts were asked to bid to host the then Centre for Defence Medicine.University Hospital Birmingham Foundation Trust (UHBFT) was awarded the contract that will endure until at least 2045.
Bill Oliver, St. Modwen Chief Executive, said:
“By working with DIO, the new accommodation building at Longbridge will provide the right facilities in the right place to support the RCDM Birmingham team. We believe that the facilities and infrastructure created at Longbridge over the last decade provide RCDM with the opportunity to create the best accommodation possible for its team based in Birmingham.”
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Further information:
Press enquiries to Tony Moran, Senior Communications Officer 0121 311 3879.
DIO website: www.gov.uk/dio
Twitter: @mod_dio
Read DIO’s blog: https://insidedio.blog.gov.uk/
Notes to Editors
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO)
1) The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) plays a vital role in supporting our Armed Forces by building, maintaining and servicing what the men and women who serve our country need to live, work, train and deploy on operations.
2) DIO is part of the Ministry of Defence (MOD). It is responsible for managing and maintaining land and properties, as well as providing related support services, to meet the current and future needs of the MOD and personnel at home and abroad, and to support current operations.
3) MOD continually examines ways of improving military capability and value for money for the taxpayer. As part of this approach the Department keeps the size and location of its bases under constant review and is committed to ensuring that the Defence estate is no larger than necessary to meet operational needs.
The Royal Centre for Defence Medicine (RCDM)
4) The Royal Centre for Defence Medicine (RCDM) is a unique military medical unit, which works closely with a number of partner NHS Foundation Trusts, predominantly in the West Midlands area. The partnership delivers quality clinical placements and access to professional training for Armed Forces doctors, nurses and allied healthcare professionals when not deployed on operations.
5) Of the 450 healthcare professionals that fall under the command of RCDM, the majority undertake clinical duties at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham where they are also involved with the provision of care to injured soldiers, sailors and airmen returning from operations and exercises.
St. Modwen Properties PLC
6) St. Modwen is the UK’s leading regeneration specialist. The company operates across the full spectrum of the property industry from a network of seven regional offices, a residential business and through joint ventures with public sector and industry leading partners.
7) The company is focussed wholly upon regeneration with an outstanding 25 year track record of adding value by managing schemes through the planning process, remediating brownfield land and active asset management and development.
8) With extensive experience in dealing with complex and challenging sites, St. Modwen has a land bank of more than 5,900 net developable acres and is focussed on the long-term development of commercial property and residential land.
9) St. Modwen’s extensive national portfolio includes; the regeneration of New Covent Garden Market, London; the transformation of Longbridge, Birmingham and the on-going regeneration of over 2,500 acres of former industrial land in South Wales which includes the delivery of Swansea University’s £450 million Bay Campus.
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